RICHMOND, Ky.- Billie Clark, a former goalie on the Eastern Kentucky University soccer team, earned a nomination for 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year for her performance on an off the field.
 
Clark appeared in seven matches last year with six starts in goal during the COVID-19 shortened season. Clark finished with a 3-2-1 record in net, a team-best 34 saves and posted two shutouts.
 
She made a season-best seven saves in a win over Milwaukee during her junior campaign, a team that came into the season undefeated and having only lost three times in its last 50 contests.
 
Off the field, Clark has spent numerous hours working as an EMT and doing different community events, campus activities and leadership positions.
 
As a sophomore she started working in Estill County as an EMT where she was working 12 or 24 hour shifts while playing soccer and keeping a good academic standing while also being involved in SAAC and FCA. As a junior she was named Vice President of SAAC where she dedicated hours to PowerPoints, fundraisers, and tailgates, as well as creating an approved budget for SAAC.
 
She was chosen by the EKU athletics department to interview candidates for the head coaching position for the women's soccer team which consisted of leading an interview and gathering information on the candidates. Clark was the student representative for the hiring of the athletic director which included reading through multiple applications, asking questions during interviews, and meeting numerous times with faculty to come to a decision.
 
When COVID-19 hit, Clark took a second part-time job with Madison County EMS along with her job at Estill County EMS.
 
During her time at Eastern, Clark helped with numerous activities such as setting up a 3-on-3 basketball tournament partnered with EKU Veteran Affairs, working with God's Outreach Food Pantry, student athlete tailgates, Jock N' Roll, Mental Awareness Week, Health Awareness Week, SAMs Program-women's soccer, coached soccer camps, EKU Fan Day and read books to local children at White Hall Elementary.  
 
Clark was named to the College of Justice and Safety Dean's List and was an EKU Colonel Scholar from 2018-21. She received the College of Justice and Safety Award of Excellence in 2021.
 
Rooted in Title IX and directed by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics, the NCAA Woman of the Year program celebrates the accomplishments of female college athletes across all three NCAA divisions. Over 220,000 women are competing in college sports, and the NCAA received 535 nominations for this prestigious award. Conference offices will select their nominees for NCAA Woman of the Year from each school's nominations. Conference nominations are forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee, which identifies the top 10 honorees in each of the three NCAA divisions. From those 30 honorees, the selection committee determines the three finalists in each division for a total of nine finalists. The Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year from the nine finalists.